Guide and sign post



L. M. DE WITTL GUIDE AND SIGN POST.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1920.

1,355,036. Patented Oct. 5,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

- C I I Q fi IT 55: ATTORNEY stars LAWRENCE M. DE VVITT, OF ASI-ITABULA,OHICL GUIDE AND SIGN POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 5, 19261 Application filed February ze, 1920. Serial No.360,988.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be It known that I, LAWRENCE M. DE Wrrr,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashtabula, in the county ofAshtabula and State of Ohio, have invented new and use ful Improvementsin Guide and Sign Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to display devices, particularly to advertisingguide posts, and has for its object the provision of a combinedadvertising sign and direction guide post adapted particularly for usealong highways and bearing indicia as to the direction and distance of anearby town or the like and also provided with a plurality of panelsupon which the name and address of a firm may be painted and upon whichvarious separate advertisements may also be painted.

An important object is the provision of a device of this character inwhich the advertisement bearing panels are each formed of sheet-metal sobent or looped as to provide a rigid structure not likely to be bentunder ordinary conditions, each panel further having associatedtherewith a diagonal brace which holds the sides of the panels in properrelation and which has its end portions en-- gaged beneath overlappingportions of the panels and bolted thereto, this structure insuring greatstrength.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this characterwhich will not only be an efficient guide as to direction and distancebut which will also display the desired advertising matter in a veryneat and eflicient manner without in any way marring the landscape.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a front elevation of.my devlce,

' Fig. 2 is a rear elevation,

Fig. 3 is a detail cross sectional view taken through the guide panel atits point of connectionwith the standard,

Fig. i is. a cross sectional view taken along the points of connectionof one of the brace members with apanel,

Fig. 5 is a detail cross sectional view through the outer end of apanel, and

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing a slightly modified form of device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates astandard which may be a wooden post, preferably square in cross section,and .Which is an chored or embedded within a concrete post, not shown,sunk into the ground. At its upper end the standard 10 carries anysuitable cap 11 which may be made as ornamental as desired. Adjacent thecap 11 the standard 10 is recessed at one edge, as shown at 12, andseated within this recess and flush with the edge of the standard is awooden block 13 against which is secured an elongated panel 14 formed ofmetal and having painted thereon indicia as to the direction anddistance of a nearby town or the like. This panel 14 is formed flat andhas its sides and ends 15 and 16 bent against its rear face, as clearlyshown, for the purpose of stiffening the panel.

Secured upon the standard 10, one above another and in spaced relation,are panels 17 and 18 which may be of the same size if desired though itis preferable that the uppermost and lowermost panels 17 be narrowerthan the intermediate panels 18. Each of the panels 17 and 18 is formedof a sheet of metal, preferably galvanized iron bent to provide similarportions extending at right angles to each other. The bend is abrupt sothat the panels will fit neatly against an edge of the standard andthese panels are secured in position by screws 19 passing therethroughand into the standard 10. The panels 17 are adapted to have paintedthereon the name and address of the firm using the device and the panels18 are intended to have painted thereon any desired advertising matter.

Each of the panels 17 and 18 has its top and bottom edges bent againstthe rear thereof, as shown at 20, and has its side edges or ends bentagainst the rear face, as shown at 21, it being observed that the bentportions 20 being bent upon themselves the ends provide four thicknessesof material at each corner of each panei which warping is concerned.Each panel 1'7 insures rigidity in so far as buckling or 18 hasassociated therewith a diagonal brace bar 22 which extends between theend portions of the panel and which has angular ends 23 engaged betweenthe body of the sheet forming the panel and the bent end portion 21between the bent portions 20, and these angular ends 23 of the bars aresecured to the panels by bolts 24: equipped with suitable nuts 25.

In some instances the advertiser may find it preferable to use a singleadvertising panel instead of the plurality of panels above described. Insuch an event the arrangement is as shown in Fig. 6. In this figure thepanels 18, previously described, are replaced by a single panel 26 ofidentically the same construction but of a size equal to'the pluralityof panels taken together. The adver-' tising matter may be painteddirectly upon this panel 26 or might be in .the form of separate signsor cards fastened thereto by any suitable means.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will beapparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed and consequentlyinexpensive combination direction guide and display device which will bestrong and which will more over be neat and attractive in appearance soas to convey the desired information Without being a blot upon thelandscape.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it

construction, and arrangement of parts as will not depart from thespirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A device of the character described comprising a vertical standardrectangular in cross section, and a plurality of panels secured thereonone above another and in spaced relation, said panels being adapted tobear legends and each being formed from a sheet of metal benttransversely whereby to provide portions extending at right angles toeach other, the bend of each panel being disposed at the edge of thestandard with said rightangularly extending portions bearing fiatagainst and secured to adjacent faces of the standard, the upper andlower edges of the sheet forming each panel being bent backwardlyagainst the body of the panel to provide longitudinal reinforcements andthe ends of each sheet being bent backwardly upon the body and upon saidfirst named bent portions whereby to provide transverse reinforcements,a diagonal brace member associated with each panel LAl/VRENCE DE WIT

